


To Hunt Wolves (You Need Wolves)

by Jedi Buttercup (jedibuttercup)



Series: So, Raise Your Glass [4]
Category: Fast and the Furious Series, Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Gen, Jaeger Pilots, Walk Into A Bar, Wordcount: 1.000-5.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-12
Updated: 2018-06-12
Packaged: 2019-05-21 08:33:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14912025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jedibuttercup/pseuds/Jedi%20Buttercup
Summary: Herc was unsurprised to see Brian O'Conner among the other trainees hitting the local pub that evening-- but hewassurprised to see that the man's partner wasn't there with him.





	To Hunt Wolves (You Need Wolves)

**Author's Note:**

> For the "Ficathon Goes Into a Bar" challenge, for the prompt, "Brian O'Conner goes into a bar and meets... Herc Hansen (Pacific Rim)!" Because I'll never stop working out my issues with canon plot in fic. :)
> 
> [Just realized I'd never reposted this from the challenge com.]

The closest pub to the Jaeger Academy on Kodiak Island was nothing really to write home about, even if Herc had still had anyone to write _to_ apart from his twelve year old son Chuck. Part of it was the stock; the only Australian beer anyone on the island seemed to have heard of was Fosters. Part of it was the climate; easily ten to fifteen degrees cooler on any given day than the equivalent season back home. And part of it was the size of the community; before the first Kaiju attack there'd been maybe fourteen thousand inhabitants on the island total, and even after the Academy and the Jaeger Proving Grounds had been built the total number hadn't shifted much. A chilly drop in the bucket compared to his hometown-- at least, before Scissure had given it a remodel. Not exactly back of beyond, but not far off, either.

But it did have a few things going for it: it was an easy walk from the base, the rationing hadn't yet hit what stock they did have, and they offered a discount to all PPDC personnel. On a cadet's salary, every little bit made a difference. Small wonder half the inaugural class of Ranger candidates tended to end up there every time they had an evening's leave. By the time the next class came in it would probably be crowded with groupies and press and every other kind of tourist, but for the time being it was a good place to unwind a bit and tip back a pint or two in friendly company.

Herc unzipped his jacket in the warmer air as he stepped inside, then cast a quick glance around at the evening's crowd. He usually walked over with his brother Scott, but Scott had begged off that night-- as had several of the others, to judge by the number of empty seats. The trainers had canceled their normal routines that morning to lecture about the upcoming live Drift tests and what that meant, and there'd been a lot of muttering afterward about D'Onofrio and Lightcap and whether their experience was really a more accurate predictor than the first pilot, Casey's. But in Herc's opinion, sitting around worrying about it was a waste of a free evening; he had better things to do with his time.

He was unsurprised to see Brian O'Conner's blond head among the throng as usual-- but he _was_ surprised to see that the man's partner wasn't there with him. The pair had been an enigma since the start, two of a sparse handful of civilians amid a sea of mostly military personnel accepted for the first experimental class, unorthodox in their skillsets and extremely close-mouthed about their pasts. But they'd already moved in sync without even half trying; the combat trainers with all their talk of 'dialogue' had had nothing to teach them. One of them leaving the base without the other was like snow in Sydney; it just didn't happen.

Herc watched him pick absently at the label of his Corona for a moment, then shook his head and headed for the stool next to him, signaling the bartender for his usual order.

Brian looked up as Herc took his seat, tipping his chin up in a nod of recognition. "Hey, Herc."

"Brian. I'd ask how you're going, but I think I can tell," he replied, nodding back. "Worried about the drift test?"

Brian shrugged, then gave the bottle in his hands another turn, a wry smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. "Not the test itself, really. Me and Dom-- there's a lot of water under that bridge already; if we didn't trust each other a hundred percent, we'd never have made it here to begin with."

"What, then?" Herc asked, curious. He wouldn't say he trusted even _his_ brother one hundred percent, but he did trust Scott to have his back in a fight, and nothing beat family for the kind of shared experience the trainers talked about as the foundation of a Drift. He supposed it was the experiences that _weren't_ shared that were bringing so many other people up short, and that _did_ take a certain amount of trust and confidence to expose. "If it's not the memories...."

"That's just it. It kind of is, even though it isn't," Brian replied, wincing. "Not _my_ memories, anyway. I know that doesn't make any sense to you, but...." 

"Let me guess. Something to do with that mysterious past you never talk about?" Herc offered, taking a sip from his own bottle. Love-in-a-canoe beer, as usual; but beggars couldn't be choosers.

"It's not so much a mystery as it is not wanting to wreck the nice clean slate the DSS gave us, let's just put it that way," Brian said, with a wry chuckle. 

"Figured it was something like that," Herc nodded. Brian moved like he'd had training, but whatever it was, it wasn't military-- and whatever training Dominic Toretto might have had hadn't come in any kind of formal school at all. But if their government had pulled strings to get them in the program, clearly they figured the guys' skills would be more of an asset than a problem. But then again.... 

"You do know the trainers can't see any of that shit, right?" he continued. "Doesn't matter what kind of memory comes up, all they'll see is the energy pattern." Stacker Pentecost, one of the other cadets in the program, had been behind the scenes of the original Pons project and talked a bit about it. One small movement of a robot finger, one giant leap for mankind; a story to tell the grandkids about. Assuming they lived long enough.

"Oh, they only _wish_ they could see those memories," Brian chuckled again, but then the smile faded from his face, and he gave Herc a sober, intent look. "Actually, I _do_ kind of wish someone could. It's... I don't know how to explain, but... look, we just got everything back, you know? And I do mean everything. The house in LA where Dom and Mia grew up, our friends... everything. Even Dom's girlfriend, that we'd thought was dead for years. It's a whole thing, she was in a bad wreck, she lost her memory, someone took advantage...." He waved away that whole interesting ellipsis, and Herc made a mental note to ask again somewhere quieter; there was clearly a _hell_ of a story there.

"But the thing was," Brian continued, "we _did_ have it all back. I thought we were finally at the finish line. And then that _thing_ came ashore and wrecked our peace again. The minute Hobbs called about the program, I didn't even question it. I know Dom didn't either-- like hell we're giving up that house now, which means when one of those things eventually targets Los Angeles, of _course_ we're going to be there to stop it."

"Still not seeing what any of that has to do with the Drift tests," Herc prompted, taking another long sip. 

Brian paused a moment, looking back down at the bottle in his hands, then sighed and set it on the bar. "We made a call, and we didn't look back. But all that talk today, it reminded Dom of one thing he _hadn't_ told me yet, hadn't told anyone. Turns out he _married_ Letty back before we lost her, but he didn't want to pressure her-- 'you can't tell someone they love you', and all. The thing is, though. I got to thinking. With the Drift...."

Suddenly the shape of the problem came clear, and Herc's eyebrows lifted. If it was him, if he had Angela back, and that question in front of him... but then again, he might still be exactly where he was. Not every couple were a Sasha and Alexis Kaidonovsky. "You think, if he was Drifting with her...?"

Brian shrugged, helplessly. "They were the original 'ride or die', long before I came into the picture. Even without her memories, she fits right in like a missing piece. Maybe I _should_ have questioned it. The last time the call came, Mia told us we were stronger together, and she wanted us out there together to watch each other's backs... but that was before we had Letty back. Maybe it _should_ be her here."

Herc considered that for a long moment, then shook his head and reached out to slap the other man upside the head.

Brian's reflexes were swift enough, of course, that he might as well have been telegraphing the move... but it served its purpose, breaking him out of his brooding mood. "Hey, what was that for?" he blurted.

"I might not know exactly what your past is," Herc told him dryly, "but I know you've seen enough of the elephant to know as well as I do that doubt can be a killer. There was a reason neither of you thought twice; I've seen you in the training rooms enough to know if any of us make it through, you and Dom will be top of the list. Maybe she'd be near as good, if they'd let her through the door with that kind of medical condition-- but then again, we might win the war tomorrow and they can start licensing the technology for other uses. Either way, it's sure as hell not worth running away and drinking your guilt alone for. You ought to be bringing the beer back to _him_ , poor bugger."

Brian stared at him a moment longer, then broke into abashed, ragged laughter. "You know what, you might have a point there. Thanks, Herc. For what it's worth, I think you and Scott will make it, too. You've got that 'ride or die' drive, and you've got each other's backs."

"That we do," Herc replied wryly. "Neither of us is perfect, but he's my brother."

"Yeah. May it always be that way," Brian said. Then he slapped arms with Herc and headed for the door, a couple of newly-purchased Coronas tucked into his jacket.

Herc watched him leave, then took another thoughtful sip of his beer. Brian had thanked him, but he'd given Herc a little more perspective, too. If he was going to be spending a lot of his time in his brother's head from now on... maybe it would help to clear the air a little beforehand, too. He'd hate for the cracks that had been driven into their family by the aftermath of Sydney to spill over there as well, or fester and cause worse problems at some later date. Like Brian said, their peace had been wrecked, but they still had each other.

And tomorrow, the next step on the road to getting into a Jaeger.

He couldn't wait.


End file.
